All language subtitles for B.W.S07E04.Do.You.Believe.in.Ghost.Frogs.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

We're going out in
the jungle looking for a ghost.

No, not a paranormal ghost.

A living ghost, one that
we will actually find

if we can locate its habitat.

This animal loves moving water.

So in order to find out where
we need to hike tonight,

we need to use the light
of day and our drone

to see where the stream
systems exist on this property.

First things first, before
we could fly the drone,

we've got to set it up.

And today, we are flying
the DJI Mavic II Pro.

This is a really awesome drone.

But for us today, it's more
of a reconnaissance tool

so we can see the
area that we're going

to be adventuring in tonight.

And lift off.

All right, we are up in the sky.

Oh, man.

You know what?

There's like all kinds of
clouds coming in right now.

This actually looks gorgeous.

Check that out.

So glass frogs is
an aboreal frog

that lives up off the
ground, love river systems

because that's where
they lay their eggs

and develop their tadpoles.

Now, if we can locate water,
there's a pretty good chance

that we could put
ourselves there and listen

for the calls of the
glass frog and then

locate the ghost glass frog.

OK, I'm going to fly due east,
and we want to the ridges

and the approximate distance
to get to these streams

and rivers, and
hopefully get eyes

on one of the streams
that's closest to us

as a starting point.

And we want to maybe
sketch the shape

and some distinct features
to help us get there.

OK.

So you see the
ridge right in front of us?

We'll call that ridge one.

And there's definitely a
secondary ridge over top of it.

And this is the great part
about scouting with the drone.

You really can see the
topography in an area

like Costa Rica, which is
very mountainous and hilly

and just confusing at night.

I mean, right, Mario?

You can easily get turned
around out there in the jungle.

But by having a map
at our aid, it's

going to make
tonight's expedition

that much more efficient.

This vegetation is dense.

Even from the sky, it
is difficult to see

anything in those trees.

That's water.

Got it.

So you see the way
that curves around?

So over ridge one, and then
on the down side of ridge two,

the stream comes from
the south and goes just

north and then bends back west.

Yep.

And then you
see that cluster of rocks?

Yep.

I think that could be
our kind of landmark,

maybe, or entry way.

Based on the fact
that that was over 2,500 meters

of flight, we're
going to estimate

to get down here, because
of the terrain up and down,

that's going to be about
another two kilometers.

OK.

Three kilometers
total in hiking tonight.

And then you have a compass
on your watch, which

will really come in handy.
Yep.

So we've got the map.

We know where the stream is at.

All we got to do is wait until
it gets dark, and, of course,

bring that drone back.

I hear it.

There it is, yeah.

So we did a manned launch.

And right now, we're going
to do a catch landing.

This is not for a
novice drone pilot.

Gotcha.

All right.

Well, that's a wrap on recon.

Let's head back and
wait for darkness.

As you can see, night
has descended upon us.

And it's time to
search the rainforest

for the ghost glass frog.

Let's turn our headlamps
on and hit the trail.

I'm scanning around.

I'm listening.

I do hear something
coming from over here.

I think I hear a call.

Hear that?

It's coming from right up here.

Let's check this out.

Oh!

Yep, right there.

Look at that.

Our first glass frog.

Cool.

Now, first thing's first.

I'm just going to leave
it alone for a second

so I can get my hands wet.

I don't want to handle
a frog with dry hands.

Let me see if I can get
this frog off its perch.

Come here, little guy.

Perfect.

There we go.

OK.

This is not the ilex or
the ghost glass frog,

but it's actually one of the
smallest species of glass frog

here in Costa Rica.

And it's the spinosa
glass frog, otherwise

known as the dwarf glass frog.

One of the first
distinct characteristics

you will notice
about the glass frog

is besides being that really
cool translucent green is

their eyes are actually set
forward as opposed to the side,

like we'd see in a red-eyed leaf
frog or some of the other frogs

that we have here in Costa Rica.

And that forward-set eye
pattern is what gives them

that really cool
Kermit the Frog look

that they're so famous for.

I think we've had it off
this leaf for long enough.

Let's put it back
and keep searching.

We've got a long
night ahead of us

if we're going to
find that ghost.

We've gone about a
kilometer east so far.

And we know our final
destination or the water source

that we're looking for is
about three kilometers east.

Looks like we need to
go a little northeast.

Mario, are you seeing that?

Yeah, according
to my compass on my watch,

yeah, if we go in
this direction,

it'll be kind of
slightly northeast.

And then I think we'll get on
that eastern trail as well.

It's funny, when you
first step foot off trail,

there's always this sensation
that comes over you.

It's just like a
heightened awareness.

Walking on the trail feels safe.

Walking off the trail feels
hazardous just by nature.

So you tend to move a little
bit more deliberately,

and you see more.

It's really an awesome
thing to get off trail.

We've got a little bit of
ground water starting here.

That means the bigger
stream is definitely nearby.

Let's head on here and get
to the start of the stream.

Dude, fer-de-lance.

Where?
Huge.

Let me see.

Holy smokes.

Look at its head.

Whoa!

Oh, my god.

Whoa!

That is a formidable
snake right there.

Good spot, Mario.

You want the snake hook?

Uh, no.

I don't think we're
going to mess with it.

Just going to get
a nice shot of it.

So the fer-de-lance relies
on its cryptic coloration

to blend into the environment.

And an animal in this position
could stay in wait for hours

without moving a single muscle.

The name of the
game is waiting when

you are an ambush predator.

And a snake like this has all
the time in the world to wait

for an unsuspecting prey item.

That
is exactly why you

have to watch every
single step you take out

here because your next
step could be on something

like that fer-de-lance.

And that would be a
very bad day for us.

It looks like it's
flattening out a little bit,

which is good news for us.

We can really start looking.

I just heard a glass frog, guys.

Up this way.

It's a very quick chirp.

It's like a--

Hear that?

Oh!

Guys, we got one.

Yes!

Oh, man, I knew I heard one.

All right, here we go.

Hands wet.

Going to gently take
it off the leaf.

I am so excited to
show you this frog.

And you're going to
see why we came all

this way to show you the ghost
of the rainforest, the ghost

glass frog.

How cool are those eyes?

So cryptic and so unique.

In my opinion, this frog has
the coolest eyes in all of frogs

in Central and South America.

And we're going to
break out the lights.

We're going to break
out the macro lens.

And we're going to
bring you in close

so you can get a good look at
why this frog is so special.

Mario, you got that
macro lens ready to go?

Yep, got the lens and
the EOS R on the tripod.

And I've got the
ghost glass frog.

Oh, looking right at you.

I think it sees its reflection
in your lens and is like,

who's that?

That looks like me.

Hey, buddy.

Let me help you there, Mario.

OK, back it up
just a little bit.

Right there.

I'm trying to remain as still
as I possibly can for Mario's

shot right now, so
everyone at home

can see those magnificent eyes.

Do they look cool?

Yeah.

They're kind of reticulated.

They got this pattern on them.

I'm going to pause there.

Let's try to get a
different angle on him.

OK.

Just carefully
nudge it this way.

How's it doing?
Is it doing good?

Oh, my goodness.
This frog--

That's good.

Oh, that's cool right there.

Let's get its little pads.

Yeah.

So this species does not
have a completely transparent

ventrum.

However, I could
see a little bit

of the white sheath
of intestinal tract

inside of its stomach.

And I could actually see like
the beating of the heart.

I'm glad you brought that up,
Mario, because a lot of people

think that all glass
frogs have a completely

transparent stomach.

And that is not true.

In fact, it is more of the
exception than the rule

when that does occur.

Now, if you have seen our
previous glass frog episode,

that was a species with a
completely clear ventral side,

where you could actually see
the heart beating and the blood

flowing through the frog,
which was pretty amazing.

Another cool thing about
the ghost glass frog,

it is actually the
largest species

of glass frog in Costa Rica.

So kind of fitting that we
started tonight with the dwarf

glass frog or the spinosa,
which is the smallest,

and we land on the ghost glass
frog which is the biggest,

but still pretty small.

It's winking at you.

I think he just
complimented you, Mario.

It was like, wink,
that's a great shot.

Well, I hope you see now why
it was worth the effort to come

all the way down here to find
the ghost of the rainforest,

the ghost glass frog.

I'm Mark Vins.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you next time.

All right, let's put this guy
back on his leaf and head home.

West Virginia is

without question one of my
favorite places to explore.

The landscape is beautiful no
matter what direction you turn,

and its collection of wildlife
is unbelievably diverse.

Some of its creatures
even appear as

if they are out of this world.

Several years ago, we set
off into the wild alongside

herpetologist Tim Brust
to seek out a living

alien known as the hellbender.

We got him!

Oh, man, Tim!

That was amazing!

The [inaudible] in the net!

Hailing as the largest
salamander species

in the new world, this
giant amphibian was

incredibly difficult to catch.

Yet, the reward was well worth
it, as that video helped bring

attention to the
conservation work Tim

and his colleagues are
doing to protect West

Virginia's river ecosystems.

On this adventure, we
are returning once again

to this wild and
wonderful state.

Our mission is to
track down and find

yet another earthbound alien.

Closely related
to the hellbender,

it's fair to say that the
mysterious being we now seek

is just as elusive and even
more difficult to catch.

Shrouded in mystery and lore,
like its larger cousins,

these salamanders are
seldom seen, which leads

to a long list of questions.

We hope to answer several.

We won't be able
to answer them all.

But the real question I know
we all want the answer to

is whether or not the mudpuppy
is capable of barking.

Now, our goal today
is to head upstream

to look for a good
spot with mudpuppies.

The best spots will be
flat slate-like rocks.

They love to hide up underneath
flat rocks or in crevices.

So we'll search for some
environmental indicators

and with any luck, ultimately
get our hands on a mudpuppy.

All right.

Can you hook me up?

There you go.

OK, you good?

I'm good.

All right, well,
let's head to the creek.

The mudpuppy is considered
a bio-indicator,

or a species whose health
status within the environment,

especially in water, can tell
scientists about the effects

different pollutants are
having on the ecosystem.

Yikes.

Seems complicated,
but it's really not.

Think of it like this.

If the water is polluted,
mudpuppies can't survive.

So if mudpuppies
are present, you

know it's a healthy ecosystem.

Wow.

This is really-- what
you guys can't feel

is all of this sand and silt. I
see what you're talking about,

Tim.

So this is not good
mudpuppy spot right here

because of how silty this is.

They'll come out
and forage in this.

As far as where they're
hiding during the day, no.

OK.

We're trying to get b-roll
of you walking through here,

actually.
Oh, really?

I thought you were filming
Tim, and I'm filming you.

All right, I'll keep going.
Ready?

Go for it.

Like other
large aquatic salamanders,

the species we are searching
for loves flowing water

and flat rocks to den beneath.

These underwater
cave-like structures

keep them concealed
during the light of day

and provide protection
from predators.

Our best chances
of finding one will

come as a result of gently
lifting as many rocks

as we can.

How about this one?

Nothing.

Now, the style of
flipping here is to flip

the rocks very, very slowly.

The slower you lift them up,
the less silt you will disturb.

And you just let the
current grab the silt

and take it with it.

All right, let's work our
way up around this bend

and flip some rocks.

OK, so we got a really
good rock right here.

Tim, I'm going to
hand you the net.

This is a good open space.

If there's a mudpuppy and
it goes that direction,

I know you're going
to make the scoop.

All right, here we go.

Oh, nothing.

Wow, that looks so perfect.

What you can't see on camera
is there's this little cavern.

Holy mackerel!

Crayfish, crayfish!

There's a big crayfish.

Holy cow, we should
try to catch this.

If you bring the net right
to there, we might get him.

Let me see if I can
scare him backwards.

Wow, this one's definitely
worth looking at.

Got it, got it!

Scoop up, scoop up!

Wow, those are some
pretty big pinchers.

Look at that.

And those pictures could put
quite the hurt on you if you

got your finger in there.

And I'm sure right now
you're thinking to yourself,

is Coyote going to let
this crayfish pinch him?

Why not?

Let's see how powerful that is.

That's probably the
right thing to do, right?

I think
that's going to hurt.

I think it's
going to hurt too.

Ah, do I really want to do this?

I know everybody right now is
watching saying, yes, Coyote,

let's see how bad that pinch is.

He's probably going to swing
that other pinch around

and get me at the same time.
All right, here we go.

Ready?

1, 2, 3.

Oh!

Ah, ah!

Ooh, it's the tips that
really get you the most.

Ooh, there goes
the second pincher!

Ah!

Yep, you do not want
to find yourself--

ooh-- inside the tips
of those pinchers.

Now, it's actually the tips
that are the sharpest part,

but this is the
defense mechanism

of this little crustacean, pinch
on to something if it picks me

up and hopefully it will set
me back down into the water

and not turn me into a meal.

But this crayfish is a good
sign that the environment

is incredibly healthy.

They're little filters
for the environment,

so where we're
finding crayfish, that

means there's the good
chance of finding mudpuppies.

All right, I'm going
to place this guy

back down into the water.

And with any luck, it is going
to just let go of my finger

and swim right back
under its rock.

Here we go.

1, 2, 3.

Now, let go.

Let go, buddy.

Oh, let go.

Still holding on.

There it goes.

That crayfish definitely was
capable of drawing blood.

They may seem completely
safe to catch,

but if you get them
from the wrong end,

you're going to pay for it.

All right, mudpuppies.

Let's keep searching.

Searching for salamanders can
be physically and mentally

exhausting, as you flip rock
after rock after rock only

to find nothing more
than a plume of silt,

or maybe another angry crayfish.

Yet, you constantly
fight the urge

to give up because you never
know what the next twist

in the river will reveal.

Wow.

OK, this is pretty ideal, right?

Yeah,
it's pretty good.

I don't know if I'm going
to be able to lift this one.

Let me just test it out.

Oh, jeez, that is a huge rock.

I'm not sure I'm
lifting that one.

But big Tim, you
think you can lift it?

I can give it a shot.

OK.

Lift it slow.

And with any luck, we'll
find something under,

and I will do the scooping.
Sound good?

- Yeah.
- OK.

Oh, it's dark, dark, dark, dark.

I see nothing.

Oh!

Oh, oh, oh, oh!

I got one!

Mudpuppy, mudpuppy!

Look at this, look at this!

Yes!

Right there, check it out!

Yes!

We got a mudpuppy!

OK, watch your toes.

Put the rock down.

Let's go right up here
on this flat rock.

The water's completely clear.

Looks like a good spot
to present the mudpuppy.

OK, let's do this.

His defense slime.

There we go.

OK, now like the
hellbender, this salamander

is going to be really
hard to present,

so I'm going to actually
use my backpack as a table.

I am going to be able to
take it out of the container

periodically for us
to get a good look at,

but I want to keep the
amphibian submerged

and as stress-free as possible.

Let's do this to start.

Let me hold it up.

Wow.

When it's under the
water like that,

you can really see those gills
bloomed out to the sides.

Now, the mudpuppy
appears as if it

is stuck in a perpetual
state of larva form.

Most salamander species
start off as larva with gills

and stay beneath the water,
but the mudpuppy never

loses those gills and is
in an aquatic environment

its entire life.

You'll never see one
of these amphibians

up and out of the
water, at least not

if it's healthy and doing well.

Now, at first when
I had it in the net,

for a second I thought,
well, is it a mudpuppy

or is it a baby hellbender?

You can see when it's
out of the water,

its gills are pressed up
against the side of its head.

That very flat
blunt-shaped head,

which, of course,
like the hellbender,

allows them to navigate
through the environment,

wedging up underneath
flat rocks.

Now, also like the
hellbender, they

have these little nuptial
pads on their toes.

They have four toes on the
back, four toes on the front.

And they just slowly
crawl along the basin

of the stream or the river.

Now, we are going to
collect some biometric data

from this creature.

There, I'm going to bring it
up again for you one more time.

That is just amazing.

What a bizarre amphibian.

Now, I can hold it up out of
the water for a few seconds

without causing
it any harm, but I

do want to continuously
dip it down into the water

so that it stays hydrated.

And I imagine like
the hellbender,

they're probably also
capable of absorbing

some oxygen through their skin.

And also, like the
hellbender, you

can see the very rudder-like
tail of this amphibian.

Look at that.

Obviously, it allows
them to propel themselves

forward within the water.

OK, let's bring the mudpuppy
up again very gently.

Come here, little guy.

There we go.

Now, during the day, they will
hide beneath rocks, obviously

to stay hidden from predators.

This is primarily a
nocturnal species.

They come out at night
and begin to hunt.

They may look adorable and
cute, but believe it or not,

this is a voracious predator.

They'll feast upon any sort of
small crayfish or invertebrate

that they come
across, whether it's

a worm, tadpoles,
little fish, all make

fair game for the mudpuppy.

Finding a mudpuppy is
incredibly exciting,

but it's important to put as
little stress on the animal

as possible, so I need to help
Tim collect the biometrics as

quickly as we can.

First, we need to measure
the length, which consists

of recording snout to vent
and then the total length

of snout to tail tip.

Next, we need to get
the salamander's weight.

Last and most important
is a DNA sample.

Taken as a small sliver
of skin from the tail,

it will contain an incredible
amount of genetic information.

This will help Tim and
his research partners

determine the health
of this environment

and it may even define this
specific animal as a completely

new species of mudpuppy.

OK, so at this point, we've
collected the mudpuppy's

biometrics, the
important science

that Tim needed to
collect for his research.

But now, it's time to answer
the question that you've

all been waiting for.

Why is the mudpuppy
called a mudpuppy?

Well, to be honest with
you, I have no idea.

It is rumored that these
amphibians will make a barking

sound when they're captured.

It would sound
something like this--

like a puppy.

But when we caught
this salamander,

it made absolutely
no sound at all.

Trust me, if it had, we
would have featured it.

I guess in my opinion,
they're simply

called mudpuppies because
they are as cute as a puppy.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see on the next adventure.

All right, it is time to get
mudpuppy back into the creek.